Load tilting mechanism for industrial truck



June 29, -1965 F. P. HOPFELD LOAD TILTING MECHANISM FOR INDUSTRIAL TRUCK 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 26, 1963 Inventor" Fred P. fiopfe 1d Bg ZUMMQ,W and 901m ESiV/ m June 29, 1965 F. P. HOPFELD LOAD TILTING MECHANISM FOR INDUSTRIAL TRUCK 5 Sheets-Sheet 2- Filed March 26, 1963 1 I I DD QO h l lillh nlmuhh Inventor Fred R fHop'Feld June 29, 1965 F. P. HOPFELD 3, ,7

- LOAD 'I'ILTING MECHANISM FOR INDUSTRIAL TRUCK Filed March 26, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet IS 66 |l llIrI- I ----Innm- .V

Inventor Fred R flopfeld 35/ MDW iH-tornegs F. P. HOPFELD LOAD TILTING MECHANISM FOR INDUSTRIAL TRUCK June 29, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 26, 1963 lnventor Fred P. fiopfeld 35, Malena, and-D0741 June 29, 19 F. P. HOPFELD LOAD TILTING MECHANISM FOR INDUSTRIAL TRUCK 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 26, 1963 A a l .w m 3 1 L ww Ii. 0 fi O 0 n i? F. M s? 3\\ Q W m 2 :m; n 3 4.

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Inventor Fred Q ilopfe Id United States Patent 3,191,788 LOAD TILTING MECHANISM FOR INDUSTRIAL TRUCK Fred 1. Hopfeld, Elmwood Park, Ill., assignor to Grand Specialties Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 268,090

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-701) This invention relates to apparatus for lifting and tilting a drum or like heavy, cumbersome object incidental to emptying or mixing the contents thereof.

The are many instances where the contents of a barrel, drum or like container are to be emptied or mixed, and this becomes a quite diiiicult if not impossible task to perform manually where the container is heavy or full. It is therefore an object of the present invention to enable such a container to be tilted easily in a poweroperated device. Inasmuch as the need for such tilting action is often concomitant to movement of the container from one location to another, it is another object of the present invention to be able to transport a barrel or like container in a vehicle equipped to tilt the container about its own axis.

Specificially, it is an object of the present invention to achieve the foregoing in a lift truck having an upright mast or frame affording a support for a turntable movable up and down thereon. The turntable is equipped with a harness or similar device for securing a drum, barrel or like container thereto such that the container, when secured to the turntable, can be raised or lowered with the turntable on the vehicle frame.

An arrangement of the foregoing kind enables the container to be transported from one location to another by the truck, to be elevated to a desired height and tilted about its own axis by rotating the turntable.

Another object of the present invention is to rotate the turntable in a unique fashion, specifically by a chain and sprocket mechanism, that is specifically related to the mast features of the lift truck so that, when desired, the container can be elevated or lowered on the mast of the vehicle without effect on the turntable mechanism.

In most instances, containers of the kind contemplated under the present invention present a heavy load. Particularly, then, when rotating the turntable to tilt the container about its own axis, it is necessary to accomplish this by a powerful drive connection to the turntable. It is therefore another object of the present invention to impart such a drive to the turntable by joining a sprocket to the turntable and rotating the sprocket by a driven chain.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing which, by way of illustration, show preferred embodiments of the invention and the principles thereof and what is now considered to be the best mode contemplated for applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a lift truck constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail view, on an enlarged scale in comparison to FIG. 2, showing details of the chain drive.

FIGS. 4 and 4A are detail views of the latching mechice anism used to secure the aforesaid chain against idle travel;

FIG. 5 is a view, similar to FIG. 1, but being on an enlarged scale in comparison thereto, and being partly broken away;

FIG. 5 is a detail sectional view of the 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6A is a fragmentary view showing details of certain of the elements shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating details of the mechanism for rotating the turntable;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the progressive manner in which a container is tilted;

FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 are partly schematic views illustrating various modes of operation when employing the apparatus of the present invention; and

FIGS. 12 and 13 are fragmentary perspective views of hydraulic mechanism adapted to impart rotary motion to the driven sprocket associated with the turntable of the truck.

The present invention is illustrated in the drawings as embodied in a lift truck 20 which is powered and steered in the manner described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 230,333, filed October 15, 1962, thereby enabling a bar-rel BB or like container to be transported as desired. The lift truck 20 includes an upright frame or mast 21 afforded by a pair of laterally spaced, vertically oriented angle bars 23, these angle bars in turn being spaced at their lower ends by a cross bar 24, FIG. 1, which in turn supports a vertically oriented hydraulic cylinder 25 that is arranged between the upright angles 23.

As described in my aforesaid copending application, the upright angles 23 afford a guide track for a vertically movable element, and such as element is incorporated in the present apparatus, being in the form of a rectangular lift plate 39. The plate 30 is guidably supported for vertical movement on the mast 21, and to this end is equipped with sets of guide rollers 31 and 32, FIG. 7, engaged with the opposite faces of the uprights 23. As shown in FIG. 2, these rollers are arranged at the four corners of the plate 30 on support pins that are connected to flanges 33 that project from the rear face of the plate 34). Thus, the rollers 31 and 32 fix the lift plate 30 against displacement relative to the uprights while assuring smooth travel relative thereto.

The lift plate is, therefore, arranged and guided for vertical movement along the uprights 23 which aiford the mast 21, and such vertical movement is under the control of a piston 35 operatively associated with the cylinder 25. Thus, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, the piston 35 is provided with the upper end thereof with a cross-head 36 that supports thereon a pair of sprockets 37. A pair of lift chains 39, FIG. 2, are anchored at their lower ends to a cross plate 40 that is rigidly secured at the opposite ends thereof to the spaced upright angles 23. The chains 39 are trained around the sprockets 37 and the ends thereof opposite the ends secured to the cross plate 4d are fastened to anchor lugs 41 afiixed to the forward face of the lift plate so in the manner evident from FIG. 6.

The lift plate 39 serves as a support for a turntable 45, FIGS. 5 and 6. The turntable 45 is spaced substantially outboard of what amounts to the forward face of the lift plate 30, and to this end, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a support shaft in the form of a bolt 50 is disposed in an opening at the center of the lift plate so with the threaded end of the bolt 59 extending forwardly in the direction of the turntable 45. A turntable sprocket 51, FIG. 7, is supported for free rotation on a bushing 52, FIG. 6, concentrically arranged on and supported by the bolt 54 A spacer 53, FIG; 7, is

arranged on the bolt '54}, being interposed between the opposed faces of the lift plate 3% and the turntable sprocket 51.

The turntable 45 is fixed to the sprocket 51 by a plurality of retaining bolts 56, FIGS. and 6. A nut 53, FIG. 6, is threaded onto the exposed end of the bolt 59 and bears on the forward face of the sprocket 51 to thereby rigidly join the turntable 45 and sprocket 51 as a unitary assembly.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7,' the forwardface of the turntable is equipped with a pair of forwardly extending plates 45A that serve to cradle the barrel BB to be borne by the turntable. A harness means, of any desired kind, including a belt for embracing the barrel is associated with the turntable to, in effect, tie the barrel thereto.

The lift plate 3%, it will be recognized, serves primarily to support and carry the turntable for vertical movement, which is to say that the turntable travels up and down on the frame 23 with the lift plate 39. However, as will be explained hereinafter, rotation imparted to the turntable sprocket 51 results in rotation of the turntable, and in order that this will be a free action, anti-friction means are arranged between the turntable and the lift plate 3% such being inclusive of rollers 61 and 62, FIG. 7, which are freely rotatable on axle elements carried by the lift plate 39.

The turntable sprocket 51 is adapted to be rotated by a chain 65, FIG. 5, played thereabout, and the chain 65 is driven by a drive sprocket 66 supported at one side of the lift plate 3%. A special rack, in the form of a chain, is adapted to drive the sprocket 66.

In achieving this end, the sprocket 66 which drives the chain 65 is secured to a drive shaft 68, FIG. 6, in turn supported for rotation in a tube 70, as best shown in FIG. 6A. The tube 79 is supported horizontally on an upright angle bar 72, FIG. 6A, that is in turn secured to the upper left-hand corner of the lift plate 39 as viewed in FIG. 5. In this way, the sprocket 66 is carried by the lift plate 30. Another upright support bracket 73, FIG. 6A, supports the end of the sleeve 70 opposite the support 72, and this bracket in turn is secured to a horizontally extending support shaft 74 having one end thereof welded to the upright angle bar 72 below the tube 70.

A driving sprocket 80 is secured to the drive shaft 63 at the end thereof opposite the sprocket 66. The sprocket 80 is meshed with a chain 85 representing a flexible rack for the toothed wheel 80.

Thus, the chain 85 represents a vertical gear track or rack that is supported at one side of the mast. The chain 85 is trained around a pair of idler sprockets 86 and 87 respectively carried on pins that are supported by brackets 88 and 89 respectively located adjacent the top and bottom of the left-hand one of the uprights 23 as viewed in FIG. 5.

In order to establish an effective drive relationship between the toothed wheel 80 and its associated gear track 35, the chain that is the gear track is trained around the sprocket St as shown in FIG. 3, for substantially 180. This relationship is maintained by an idler wheel 90, and an idler sprocket 91. The idler wheel 9% is carried by an arm 93, FIG. 5, and the idler sprocket 91,

FIG. 6A, is supported on the end of the shaft 74 opposite the angle 72.

Consequently, the twoidlers 9t and 91 are effective to maintain an efiective embracement between the toothed wheel 36 and its chain track 85. clamped together, such that during normal vertical movement of the lift plate 30 the chain 35 is caused to travel idly around the idlers 86 and 87. This mode of operation is illustrated in the sequence of figures, FIGS. 9 and 10, where the barrel B, strapped to the lift mechanism, is elevated from the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. 10, through the vertical distance The two, in effect, are

D Point P on the chain, FIG. 9, moves to position P, FIG. 10.

Such free or idle travel of the chain without consequent tilting of a drum or the like secured to the turntable harness will be established for normal lift operations when it is desired merely to lift the drum and transport the same to a preferred location. When, however, it is desired to turn the drum incidental to emptying or mixing the contents thereof, the chain 85 itself is clamped against free travel on its idlers $6 and 87, whereupon it becomes a gear track that is effective to produce rotation of the sprocket 85), thereby imparting rotation to the turntable, and the means whereby this is accomplished will now be described.

Referring to FIGS.'3, 4, 4A and 7, a chain clamp in the form of a locking sprocket 95 is pivotally supported adjacent the left-hand pass of the chain 85. To this end, and as best shown in FIG. 7, an arm 96 is secured as by a weld or the like to the right-hand one of the upright angles 23 that affords the mast 21. A pin 97 is supported by the arm 96 and projects at right angles thereto. An arm 99 is supported pivotally on the pin )7, and the locking sprocket 95 is clamped immovably to the arm 1 9 that is pivoted on the pin 97. The spacing and arrangement of parts is such that the locking sprocket 95, immovably aifixed to the arm 99, is adjacent and in position to be engaged with the left-hand pass of the chain 85, but normally the locking sprocket 95 is held disengaged from the chain 85 in a manner to be explained.

A latch 106, FIG. 4, including a handle 1901-1 is pivotally secured to an arm 192 fixed to a plate 104 in turn bolted to the inside face of the right-hand one of the uprights 23. The latch 169 includes a hook 195 that is adapted to be disposed in latching engagement with the end of the arm 99 opposite the pin 97 on which the arm 99 is pivoted, and normally when the chain 85 is unclamped for free travel, said opposite end of the arm 99 rests on the upper edge of the hook element 105 of the latch arm 1%, whereby the clamping sprocket 95 is positioned free of engagement with the chain 85 as shown in FIG. 3.

However, by lifting the handle ltltlH a viewed in FIG. 3, to move the hook 195 away from the related end of arm 99, arm 95 drops under its own weight (see FIG. 4) and the locking sprocket 95 meshes with the chain 85, whereafter the latch arm Mill is manipulated to bring the hook 105 into position over the upper edge of the arm 99, thereby clamping the sprocket 95 in a positive manner to the chain 85. As a consequence, the immovable sprocket 95 will maintain the chain 85 stationary even though the plate 30 is raised, and under such circumstances the turntable will be rotated to turn the drum, barrel or like container supported thereby in a manner that will now be explained.

When the chain 85 is clamped by the locking sprocket 95 in the manner explained above, the chain 85 becomes a fixed gear or rack for the toothed wheel 80. Therefore, and referring to FIG. 8, lifting of the turntable 45 from the position 45-A through the position 45-13 to the final position 45C is characterized by its being rotated typically through a angle characterizing rotation of the toothed wheel 80. This is set forth as the maximum turning movement of the turntable, and is due of course to the fact that when the chain 85 is held stationary by the clamping sprocket, the chain 35 becomes a fixed rack along which the toothed wheel 80 travels, and as thisis occurring, the toothed wheel 869 imparts a positive drive to the sprocket 66 which in turn imparts rotary motion to the sprocket 51 that is secured to the turntable to rotate the latter about a horizontal axis. Of course any intermediate amount of rotation is possible, but with the container initially in the upright position illustrated in FIG. 9, a near maximum amount of tilting thereof may be desired through the 146 angle that is evident in FIG. 11.

It will be realized that the clamping action of the locking sprocket 35 will be resorted to in those instances when it is desired to turn the barrel support turntable as an incident to raising of the lift plate 30, and as has been explained above, it may be desirable merely to raise the barrel with the lift plate without inducing turning or tilting thereof, in which ecent the locking sprocket 95 is maintained disengaged from the chain 85. If the chain is locked on descent of the lift plate, then any drum or the like in the turntable harness is tilted clockwise as viewed in FIG. 11, rather than counterclockwise as above described.

The arrangement described above, characterized by a chain that is to be locked to become a rack for the toothed Wheel 80, represents a sturdy, reliable heavy-duty arrangement that is particularly etiicacious in the instance of drums, barrels or the like that are heavy themselves or are heavily loaded. In the instance of lighter loads, and in other circumstances, a less ruggedly constructed mechanism can be resorted to for imparting turning moment to the turntable, and such an arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, embodied in a vehicle of the general character described above. Hence, FIGS. 12 and 13 show only the details concerning the manner in which a hydraulic motor 120 is supported and arranged to rotate the turntable that harnesses the drum or the like.

To this end, the lift plate of the vehicle is modified to enable the hydraulic motor 120 to be supported thereon, and the modified lift plate is identified by reference character 30A. Thus, a bar 122, which carries a roller 31 of the character described above, extends rearward from the rear face of the lift plate 30A. An angle bracket 123 is secured to the outer face of the bar 122. The motor 120 includes a mounting plate 124 having a projection 124A at one side thereof, and this projection is secured to one leg of the bracket 123 by a nut and bolt 125.

Another projection 124B is provided on the plate 124, and this projection is secured to the lift plate 30A by a nut and bolt 126, a spacer 127 being interposed between the forward face of the mounting plate 124 and the rear face of the lift plate 30A.

A valve housing 130 is associated with the motor 120, and a pair of hoses 131 and 132 are connected thereto. The hoses 131 and 132 supply hydraulic fluid under pressure for driving the motor 120 in the desired direction, which can be reversed in order to control the direction of turning moment that is to be imparted to the drive sprocket 51, of the character described above, that is supported for rotation on the lift plate 30A. Thus, as in the foregoing embodiment, the drive sprocket 51 is driven by a chain 65, but in this instance the chain 65 is driven by a drive sprocket 135 that is connected to the driven shaft 120A of the motor 120. Thus, it will be seen that by energizing the motor 120, the sprocket 135 will be driven thereby to rotate the drive sprocket 51 that is associated with the turntable described above, and by reversing the flow of hydraulic fluid in the hoses 131 or 132, it is possible to reverse the direction of rotation of the sprocket 51.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the present invention makes it possible to be able to tilt a drum or the like adapted to be transported on a lift truck, and as an incident to raising or lowering of the lift plate of the lift truck, as in the embodiment of the invention first described. Such an arrangement is highly advantageous in connection with certain food processing operations where drums containing comestibles are to be dumped into mixing vats, as well as in the processing of chemicals, dry mixes and the like. The hydraulic motor, FIGS. 12 and 13, can be powered to rotate the turntable at any position, and at any elevation of the lift plate. Hence, while I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that these are capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

ll. Apparatus for lifting and tilting a drum or the like and comprising, an upright frame affording a vertical guide for a lift plate, a lift plate guidably supported on the frame, means for raising and lowering the lift plate, a vertically oriented turntable carried by said lift plate so as to be movable therewith and including means for securing a drum thereto, chain and sprocket means for rotating said turntable to tilt a drum secured thereto, and a drive gear for said chain and sprocket means including a drive sprocket fixedly mounted for rotation on said lift plate and operatively associated with said chain, a vertically oriented gear track for the drive sprocket in the form of a drive chain trained around vertically spaced idler sprockets which in turn are supported by said frame, said drive chain being meshed with the drive sprocket and being normally freed for idle travel around said idlers when the lift plate and the drive sprocket carried thereby undergo vertical movement, means wrapping said drive chain tightly about a portion of said drive gear and maintaining said drive chain in constant tension, and a gear means pivotally mounted on said frame means and pivotal into engagement with said drive chain, said gear being fixed against rotation and securing said drive chain against travel so that the drive chain becomes a fixed gear track for the drive sprocket during vertical movement of the lift plate carrying the turntable to be rotated.

2. Apparatus for lifting and tilting a drum or the like and comprising, an upright frame affording a vertical guide for a lift plate, a lift plate guidably supported on the frame, means for raising and lowering the lift plate, a vertically oriented turntable carried by said lift plate so as to be movable therewith and including means for securing a drum thereto, gear means associated with the turntable for rotating said turntable to tilt a drum secured thereto, vertically spaced idlers supported by said frame, a vertically oriented gear track in the form of a chain trained around said vertically spaced idlers, said chain being normally freed for idle travel around said idlers, a drive sprocket carried by said lift plate and adapted to drive said gear means, said spocket being meshed with said chain so as to drive the chain on the idlers during vertical movement of the lift plate, means wrapping said drive chain tightly about a portion of said drive gear and maintaining said drive chain in constant tension, an arm pivotally mounted on said upright frame, a toothed gear fixedly mounted on said arm and movable into engagement with said drive chain upon pivoting of said arm, and latch means for latching said arm in a position in which said toothed gear is in engagement with said drive chain, said gear securing the drive chain against movement so that the chain rotates the drive sprocket during vertical movement of the lift plate thereby to drive said gear means and rotate said turntable.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,377,978 5/21 Weber 214-652 2,507,583 5/50 Wellman 214-730 X 2,604,220 7/52 Frischmann 214-652 2,690,272 9/54 Quayle. 2,705,083 3/55 Soderstrom 214-650 2,807,382 9/57 Schenkelberger 214-652 2,875,912 3/59 Thresher et al. 214-654 3,027,031 3/62 Woodward et al. 214-652 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

MORRIS TEMIN, Examiner. 

2. APPARATUS FOR LIFTING AND TILTING A DRUM OR THE LIKE AND COMPRISING, AN UPRIGHT FRAME AFFORDING A VERTICAL GUIDE FOR A LIFT PLATE, A LIFT PLATE GUIDABLY SUPPORTED ON THE FRAME, MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE LIFT PLATE A VERTICALLY ORIENTED TURNTABLE CARRIED BY SAID LIFT PLATE SO AS TO BE MOVABLE THEREWITH AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR SECURING A DRUM THERETO, GEAR MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TURNTABLE FOR ROTATING SAID TURNTABLE TO TILT A DRUM SECURED THERETO, VERTICALLY SPACED IDLERS SUPPORTED BY SAID FRAME A VERTICALLY ORIENTED GEAR TRACK IN THE FORM OF A CHAIN TRAINED AROUND SAID VERTICALLY SPACED IDLERS, SAID CHAIN BEING NORMALLY FREED FOR IDLE TRAVEL AROUND SAID IDLERS A DRIVE SPROCKET CARRIED BY SAID LIFT PLATE AND ADAPTED TO DRIVE SAID GEAR MEANS, SAID SPROCKET BEING MESHED WITH SAID CHAIN SO AS TO DRIVE THE CHAIN ON THE IDLERS DURING VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF THE LIFT PLATE, MEANS WRAPPING SAID DRIVE CHAIN TIGHTLY ABOUT A PORTION OF SAID DRIVE GEAR AND MAINTAINING SAID DRIVE CHAIN IN CONSTANT TENSION, AN ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID UPRIGHT FRAME, A TOOTHED GEAR FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID ARM AND MOVABLE INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DRIVE CHAIN UPON PIVOTING OF SAID ARM AND LATCH MEANS FOR LATCHING SAID ARM IN A POSITION IN WHICH SAID TOOTHED GEAR IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DRIVE CHAIN, SAID GEAR IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID MOVEMENT SO THAT THE CHAIN ROTATES THE DRIVE SPROCKET DURING VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF THE LIFT PLATE THEREBY TO DRIVE SAID GEAR MEANS AND ROTATE SAID TURNTABLE. 